FARMINGTON — The Board of Selectmen approved amendments to the town’s personnel policy and Fire/Rescue Department’s hiring policy Tuesday, allowing the department to confirm the employment of two full-time firefighters.

Although Fire Chief Terry Bell recommended hiring Timothy “TD” Hardy and Scott Baxter at an earlier meeting this month, the action was postponed until the wording of the nepotism clauses in the two policies could be reviewed by the board.

Both Hardy and Baxter have fathers in the Fire Department. 

Under appointments in the personnel policy, the wording was amended to read, in part, “Any individual applying for a position with the Town in any department of ten or more employees will be ineligible if the individual is required to supervise or be supervised by an immediate family member.”

The policy previously called an applicant ineligible if the vacancy existed within the same shift, section or division in which an immediate relative of the family was employed.

Under the Fire/Rescue Department’s hiring policy, adopted in 2006, the department was given some flexibility on nepotism clauses because of the nature of employment. The policy provided for hiring more than one person from the same immediate family for paid-per-call firefighter positions.

The wording, “for Paid per call firefighters positions,” was deleted and the policy amended Tuesday to read “an immediate family member, however, cannot supervise or be supervised by another immediate family member.”

The board made a slight modification to the amendments, Town Manager Richard Davis said, including that the amendment does not affect family members employed by the town prior to May 23, 2006.

Hardy and Baxter already work for the department as per-diem firefighters. Hardy has served the department for 19 years. Baxter has served for 10 years in the department and has 15 years of fire service experience.

Their full-time employment date is expected to be worked out Friday, Bell said.

Hardy is a fire captain and Baxter will be promoted to captain. The two captains will be involved in the hiring of the other two firefighters/EMTs approved by voters at town meeting. Hardy and Baxter will supervise those positions and the per-diem firefighters, Bell said.

Under a paid-call division, the chain of command under the fire chief includes two deputy fire chiefs, Clyde Ross and Tim Hardy, TD Hardy’s father, and two fire captains, Michael Bell, the chief’s brother, and Michael Melvin, who will oversee paid-per-call firefighters.

Bell believes the other two full-time firefighters will be hired within the week.

Depending on whether anyone needs to give notice to other jobs, Bell expects the four full-time firefighters to be in place by the middle of May.

In other business, the board:

* Held a public hearing and approved a liquor license for The Granary at 147 Pleasant St. According to the license application, The Granary is owned by Mill Street Cafe and will be operated by Mary Howes and Richard Mealey.

* Approved a taxicab business license for Kellon Alexis. Alexis is starting Farmington Taxi and plans to begin providing services around the Farmington area within a couple of weeks. 

abryant@sunmediagroup.net

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